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Copyright of Contemporary Accounting Research is the property of Canadian Academic Accounting Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

We use the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act as a setting to offer new insights into companies' tax accruals. We examine companies' estimates of the mandatory one-time transition tax on previously untaxed foreign earnings. We exploit the one-year measurement period provided by Staff Accounting Bulletin (SAB) 118, during which companies could adjust their initial transition tax estimates to examine how companies' information gathering and processing costs affect these estimates. We find more accurate initial estimates for companies (1) with political access, (2) with less busy financial statement auditors, and (3) who previously accrued estimated incremental U.S. tax on foreign earnings. Finally, we find that companies with incentives to manage external perceptions that they pay their "fair share" of tax are more likely to overstate their initial transition tax estimates. Our study provides evidence of cross-sectional differences in companies' financial reporting of income taxes during a politically sensitive time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ, Y2O3-ZrO2) ceramic with titanium dioxide nanoparticle (nanoTiO2) is prepared using conventional pressureless and two-step sintering (TSS) methods. The microstructure, phase composition, and mechanical properties of TSS-TiO2-ZrO2-Y2O3 nanocomposite ceramics are compared to those of the ceramics sintered using conventional sintering. The effect of TSS and nanoparticles on the sintering densification of the YSZ ceramics is investigated. X-ray diffractometry revealed that nanoTiO2 destabilizes c-ZrO2 and stabilizes t-ZrO2 in the YSZ. In addition, TSS is more conducive for grain refinement and sintering densification of the TiO2-ZrO2-Y2O3 nanocomposite ceramics; the average grain size of the samples decreased from 1.446 (conventional sintering) to 0.492 μm (TSS). Meanwhile, the relative density and sintering shrinkage of the TSS-1450 sample reached the maximum (98.23% and 22.92%, respectively) at a nanoTiO2 fraction of 7 wt%. The maximum microhardness and bending strength of the TSS-1450 ceramic matrix with 7-wt% nanoTiO2 were 1823 HV and 505 MPa, respectively. The nanoparticles distributed in the grain boundary induce the crack to the matrix, which induces the transgranular fracture, and nanoTiO2 improves the densification and mechanical properties of YSZ ceramics more than titanium dioxide microparticles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents information on the Renewable Energy Portfolio Standards (REPS) policies which sets targets for the electricity providers for using renewable energy resources for generating a certain percentage of electricity. The North Carolina was the first state in the southeastern region of the U.S. to adopt the REPS policies and to establish incentives for solar power generation. The residence of the state uses solar photovoltaic system for utilizing these incentives.